New Growth in 1980’s

75th Anniversary Booket, inside pages

The family of Refugees from Cambodia that First Lutheran sponsored,teaching them English, and offering physical and spiritual support and guidance.

​The church sponsored a refugee family during these years, and another set of pipes were added to the organ. The chimes were also added during Hanson’s tenure. The church offered a clothing room and served meals for those in need in the community.

75th Anniversary

​Pastor Dennis Hanson came in 1976 and served longest of any pastor, till 1995. During his tenure, we paid off the parsonage and the church grew in number enough to warrant calling an assistant pastor, Larry Cudmore.

​Pastor Cudmore served as assistant to Pastor Hanson, preaching, teaching classes, and serving the Clark Fork Church which 1st Lutheran helped support as a mission for a number of years until the mid 90’s.

Pastor Cudmore as he looked when he returned to Clark Fork Lutheran for their 50th anniversary in 2005 ​when Rev. Robert Nale was still there.

Family campouts were started which made the church family even more closely knit.